Google Maps update squeezes Mom and Pop

Google Maps update squeezes Mom and Pop

Putting restaurants on the map. Monday’s update of Google Maps included an option to order food delivery straight from the app, Apple Insider reports. Before the update, when a user clicked on a restaurant’s location on a Google map, up popped a search card with relevant information. Now that card will include a “place an order” button that sends the user directly to apps like Seamless, Eat24, and Caviar.

Though both updates make it easier to order food from your neighborhood joint, they aren’t necessarily good news for restaurants.

This development comes on the heels of last week’s announcement from Facebook that it will partner with Delivery.com to offer direct ordering through a restaurant’s Facebook page.

Though both updates make it easier to order food from your neighborhood joint, they aren’t necessarily good news for restaurants. As we reported last week, apps like Seamless take a big bite out of bottom lines. And the Google update will add another layer to the search result rat race: restaurants that appear first on Google Maps (be it through advertising, backlinks to their site, or hundreds of Google reviews) will have an advantage over others. Great news for flashy restaurants that prioritize a strong web presence, but not so great for the mom-and-pop joint around the corner that just got around to installing a router.

Claire Brown is a staff writer for The New Food Economy focusing on food policy and the environment. Her reporting has won awards from the Newswomen’s Club of New York and the New York Press Club. She is based in Brooklyn. She can be reached via email at [email protected] or on Twitter at @hclaire_brown.